Feb 13, 2009

Last night I had the pleasure of having my friend Julia over to show me some of her delicious recipes. Julia is an amazing Italian cook. She can make leather taste good if she had to cook it! Her secret is simple, she cooks with only quality ingredients, like Pecorino Romano, good extra virgin olive oil and fresh herbs are all subtle differences that make food go from good to great. She always has on hand, a can of her own homemade filetto di pomodoro sauce she makes from scratch in the summer when tomatoes are at their peak and jars them to use throughout the year. She said she always has a jar in the fridge to incorporate into her weekly recipes. When not using fresh tomatoes, she uses Tuttoroso imported canned tomatoes. Here is her simple pomodoro sauce recipe from canned tomatoes. Make a large batch so you can keep it on hand for recipes throughout the week.

75 comments
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Gina - Long time lurker first time poster. I have saved so many of your yummy recipes that I thought I should finally chime in and let you know how much I appreciate your site. This sauce looks especially delectable! We have pasta on the menu tonight even though I don't have the recommended canned tomatoes. I'm going to see if I can find them in Omaha somewhere - if not - maybe Amazon can ship some to me. We do love the Muir Glen tomato products so that's what I'll probably use tonight. Thanks again for a great site.

@ TNelson, I have never tried Muir Glen but I have heard positive things about them. There is a great article on Chowhound "The Best Italian Canned Tomatoes" http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/351272 I am loyal to Tuttoroso because I have always gotten great results but if Muir Glen works in your house, use them.

I have not been able to find Tuttoroso tomatoesin Southern California except by ordering on line from back east. I used San Marzano tomatoes which are even available at Albertsons. This has to be the very best tomatoe sauce I have ever had. I could easily eat it just as it is as tomatoe soup.

I am really looking forward to making some of your recipes this week! I have planted lots of tomatoes this year, and was wondering if you'd ever gotten to post your friend's actual recipe for canning this sauce?

i bought whole canned tomatoes and it looks like im going to have to puree the whole thing when its done cooking., also my carrots arent soft( they are diced tiny). when i puree do you think i should also puree the basil or take it out?

i poured it in my blender,it filled it perfectly, anymore and i would have had to blend in two batches. it came out awesome, i added splenda to cut the acidity. i made this so i could make the lasgna spinich rolls, they came out perfect! im going to have to feature the recipe on FatGirlsLittleCoat soon, ill link you when i do. i also made your picodillo and baked tostones this week, how do you get your tostones crispy?mine came out hard. ive already printed a recipe to cook for dinner every day next week. nice to not have to think about it, thanks a ton!

I am working on this sauce and feel like its a bit loose, are you supposed to drain the tomatoes first?

I found this site a few days ago because I have an aunt coming to visit me and she is on WW so I want to make something for her that she can count. And now I am officially a convert. I will be using many of your recipes even though I don't count point but my entire weekly menu is all of your recipes. You really should have your own cooking show!

I thought I had posted this earlier today, but maybe I goofed up on submitting...anyways, I noticed other gals inquiring about the recipe using fresh tomatoes. I guess my main question is about how to get the fresh tomatoes to the state of canned tomatoes...do I need to do anything different? Skin them, blanch them...???? Thanks! Oh, and made the yummo ziti and spinach tonight! Both my kids ate it without much fuss about the spinach - a huge success in my house! Thanks for the great recipes!

Yes, you blanch them, remove the skin, put them through a food mill to remove the seeds. Then you cook them with salt and pepper, onions and olive oil if you desire. If tomatoes are tart you can add a pinch of sugar. Cook 10 minutes or so, remove from heat and add fresh basil.

Hi Gina,I'd love to make your tomato sauce to use in your Chicken Enchilada recipe, but I am not sure which one to use. Does this one work? Or the Candied Tomato Sauce? Or do you recommend just using store-bought canned?Also, do you recommend a specific immersion blender? I really want to make some of your soup/sauce recipes, but need to get one and want a reliable one.Thanks!!

Gina, You're my food hero! I've been coming to your blog for quite some time now, but I don't think I've ever commented. I LOVE to cook, and I LOVE photography! And, I've been on WW for 50 weeks and have lost 90+ lbs. I rarely make a recipe to the T, but I thoroughly enjoy following your recipes and adding my own little twists. I check your site daily! It inspires me not to get stuck in the food duldrums by resorting to the same ole same ole! And, WW or not, I highly recommend your site! (And, your most used recipe in my house is this tomato sauce...I make it up in large quantities and freeze it in desired quantities. I LOVE it!! Will never buy pre-made sauce for anything again!) Thanks!!

This is really spooky! Let me begin by saying that I found this site today and I'm in love with what I found. I love to cook so Gina you are my new best friend and hero! Spent @ two hours reading recipes and the wonderful comments, then went to cook the dinner I had planned earlier in the day- my special Turkey Marinara Sauce! After dinner I tried to figure out WW PointsPlus for a one cup serving, I guessed it to be around 5pts. Then I had an idea- maybe that site I was on before has a similar recipe and I'll use the info. Well THIS IS IT almost to a T!!! I leave out the stock but add sauted mushrooms, sauted ground turkey (20oz package), 1/4c red wine and a dash of hot pepper flakes. This sauce was eaten over Spaghetti Squash. My husband had it over pasta. I even put my basil in the last five minutes and explained to my husband why I wait!! If you really want more veggies and love eggplant grill or roast eggplant cubes and add to sauce. Left overs can be frozen. SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Good! This is my first post ever, hope it was done correctly.

Found the tomatoes at my local WalMart. They already had the basil in them so I left that step out. Mine came out a little sweet but I also could of added too much sugar. I also threw the veggies in the chopper before adding them to the sauce so the children would eat it without going eww what's that?

Do you blend your sauce after with an immersion blender or is it just smooth enough to serve????? I ask because I'm looking to make your spinach lasagna roll ups and the sauce on there looks like it doesn't have a chunk in in.

Very good. Had to add a pinch of sugar at the end. Might add a bit more chicken broth next time as it was a bit too thick for me. Yummy in the eggplant parm recipe and will use for other recipe but don't think I'd use it by itself as a sauce. Carrots were a bit crunchy still after 45 minutes but not a bad thing.

We liked this one...but not as a spaghetti sauce. It was just missing something for me. I will definitely be freezing it and using it in other recipes, however! I featured it on my blog at:http://stitchingmomma.blogspot.com/2011/12/one-of-my-favorite-sites.html

Hi Gina,Just want to say that I love your site. Keep up the good work and recipes. I think the recipes are even good for people who don't follow weight watchers. Looking forward to your 2012 recipes.{can't believe we are just about into another new year] Annie

Just finished my 45 minute simmer! I am impressed on how the carrots added the sweetness necessary to take away the bitterness. I added kosher salt, a pinch of red pepper flakes and 2 heaping tablespoons oregano - no basil. Fantastico! Thanks for another great low points success in the kitchen!

Sams Club in my area (Annapolis, MD) sells Tuttoroso crushed tomatoes by the case for about $8. I'm fairly new to following Gina and her recipes but already saw she loves the brand...so I bought a case yesterday and plan on making this for the Spinach Lasagna rolls later this week.

Love this recipe. All your sauces are amazing. I've FINALLY been getting into make my own sauces rather than buying. It's so nice to know what goes into them. Just made another pot. Can't wait to have some!

Is there a purpose to the carrots? Is it just to sneak in more veggies or does it do something else? I thought I did a good job chopping them but they never softened up so our sauce was "crunchy" although still tasty. I noticed on the bolognese sauce it list carrots to be shredded. I'm wondering if I should be doing the same here or just leave them out. I like the idea of added nutrition and think if shredded it would be a good thickening agent rather than typical tomato paste.

I made one batch of this sauce a few weeks ago, and we love it! I'm always forgetting to thaw things ahead of time, though, so I'd really like to can this sauce instead of freeze it. Do you have any recommendations for canning?

HI,I looked online and found that Tuttorosso is owned by Red Gold. We do not have Tuttorosso brand available here, but we do have Red-Gold tomatoes. Does anyone know if they have the same taste?Thanks,

Our family LOVED this recipe! I used fresh tomatoes from our garden. I'm seriously thinking about buying cases of tomatoes from the farmer's market so I can freeze a ton of this sauce to last all winter! The only thing I did differently was to let it cook for a few hours, which really helped it thicken up. YUM!

Made this sauce, it was BLAND. I chopped and chopped and the sauce was too soupy. Had to reduce the liquid by 1/3 and then had to continue cooking it until it started looking like a sauze instead of soup.

Wow!! Have made this sauce for the Chicken parm., and also as a dip for the baked cheesesticks!! So delicious...your site has changed my eating and cooking for the better. Thank you so much for all of these wonderful recipies.

Hey there, I tried this recipe today and it was really yummy. What a nice clean taste which I love in a pasta sauce. I have been following your site and have made a few recipes and plan to try many more. Keep up the great work and Happy Holidays :)

This is very tasty! I am not a huge fan of carrots and I couldn't quite get them soft even with a little extra simmering so I was thinking maybe next time I will shred them. Overall, very yummy. I am making this for the spinach manicotti (first try so wish me luck! haha) and I'm sure the homemade sauce will make all the difference! Thank you for all your posts and replies!

i could drink this sauce! i have been a follower for a year or so... but the past few months i have been using your recipes on a regular basis. i have never been much of a cook but i have to say that i have improved. :) i love the fact that they are lower cal/fat as well. thank u for inspiring me...